St Gervais

About St Gervais

The attractive spa town of St Gervais has been a holiday resort since tourists first took waters there in 1806. Lying above a dramatic river gorge midway between the 2 world famous ski resorts of Chamonix and Megeve, it is part of the massive Evasion Mont Blanc ski area. The perfectly groomed slopes and challenging off-piste terrain, with 125 ski lifts, 312 miles of downhill slopes and 5,400 feet of vertical drop, offer skiing and snowboarding for all abilities. Non-skiers can enjoy several miles of high mountain footpaths, spectacular views of Mont Blanc and many of the on-slope restaurants with a pedestrian lift pass. Megeve, France's most elegant and upscale resort, is just a cable car ride away from Le Bettex. Everyone will want to take a ride on the Tramway du Mont Blanc, one of only three remaining rack and pinion railways in France.

A scenic ride takes pedestrians and skiers through forests and snow-covered pastures to the Bellevue/ Les Houches plateau at the foot of Mont Blanc. St Gervais has a lovely renovated town center with a good selection of bars, restaurants, bakeries and creperies (not to mention the chocolate!) and several supermarkets to use for everyday essentials. Just above St Gervais, at the first stop of the cable car is the small hamlet of Le Bettex, the birthplace of skiing in the region. Here you will find a charming restaurant, a ski school and several shops. Facing Mont Blanc, St Nicolas de Veroce is a typical mountain village. After an invigorating day on the slopes, the best way to relax is with a visit to the hot springs at Le Fayet. Les Thermes de St Gervais, situated in a magnificent park setting. It has been open for over 200 years and is prepared to treat you to the most advanced techniques in spa treatments. The local market comes to town on a Thursday with a range of Savoyard treats. Various festivals and concerts are held in the town throughout the year and it has an excellent theatre and cinema. Free resort shuttle buses operate throughout the area.

St Gervais itself is a beautiful little spa town with a well renovated centre that has retained the charm of its 19th century origins The bustling centre is full of ambience and has a good selection of bars, cafes and restaurants as well as a multitude of sporting and leisure facilities. There is a farmers market every Thursday where you can buy your local ham and cheeses and the St Gervais thermal baths in Le Fayet are also well worth a visit!

Access to St Gervais is so easy. Geneva airport is less than 50 minutes drive away or St Gervais/ Le Fayet train station - linked to Paris - is only a 10 minute drive.

It is a charming town with loads of ambience and takes you away from the purpose built ski resort. St Gervais is ideal for all types of skier but particularly for families or groups.

St Gervais in Winter

Set right at the foot of Mont Blanc, the French ski resort of St Gervais Les Bains has access to over 490 pistes and 300km of skiing. Linked to Megeve and St Nicholas de Veroce, together they make up the largest inter-connected ski area within the Mont Blanc region and with much of the skiing above 2000m, it is reliably snow sure. All levels of skiing are catered for here, but particular favourites of ours are the sunny blue and red runs across to Megeve for some superb quality mountain restaurants; and Les Contamines, one of the areas biggest secrets for a good powder day. It's only a 10 minute drive from St Gervais and is included on the same ski pass. From the summit of Mont Joly you get an amazing panoramic view of the Mont Blanc region and on a clear day can even see the summit of the Grand Mottes glacier in Tignes! Local buses also take you between the different areas if you do not wish to ski.

St Gervais in Summer

St Gervais is not only a popular winter location but is absolutely spectacular in the summer - there is hiking, mountain biking, road biking, mountaineering, parapenting, rock climbing, via ferrate are amongst the favourites then there is also golf, leisure and water activities, sightseeing and sunbathing in the Lakes or swimming pools. Outside of this you can just sit down drink coffee and look at the views! Without doubt the best event of the year at the end of August is the North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc UTMB (170km 10000m of ascent) www.ultratrailmb.com where the worlds top ultra runners are completing in under 24 hours and run through St Gervais!

Climbing

Climbing in the Mont Blanc massif and the Chamonix Valley means high mountains, superb granite and miles of limestone cliffs. Crags are usually equipped. Mountain routes may be partially equipped with, at least, abseil points in place. If you want to go high, be careful, read a guide book properly, take the necessary precautions or hire a guide.

Golf

Golf in the Alps is popular with holiday makers who want to take in the mountain air while enjoying a leisurely round of 9-18 holes. Chamonix has an excellent 18 hole course and there are also courses at Evian and Verbier.

Hiking

The valley is beautiful and the hiking season can start as early as April in Chamonix. You will need lightweight boots and shorts, waterproofs, sunglasses, plus skin and lip protection. Always have a drink at hand as well. Walks are well sign posted. In the valley you can do one day walks from the cable car stations and further afield two day plus walks in surrounding French areas, Italy and Switzerland. Two very famous walks are The Tour of Mont Blanc which can take eight to ten days and The Walker's Haute Route which is Chamonix to Zermatt via mountain huts and valley hotels. Or why not try Mont Joly - the highest peak in St Gervais - it offers the most spectacular views from the top or the Col de Voza has many beautiful hamlets to walk through.

Mountain Biking

There are great mountain bike trails in the St Gervais and Les Contamines valleys and surrounding areas, for all levels. There are excursion trails on the valley floor as well as more difficult ones using the cable car systems to access them.

Mountaineering

Chamonix in the Alps is the mecca for mountaineering, rock climbing and via ferrate! There are lots of mountaineering routes to do in the summer from valley cragging to the ascent of Mont Blanc. You must be aware of mountain safety, if tackling anything very dangerous then hire a guide.

Parapenting

Parapenting is a very popular sport in St Gervais due to the high mountains and great winds. There are many takeoff sites in Passy and Chamonix. You can take a tandem flight with a qualified instructor or lessons with a paragliding school.

Sports Centre

The sports centre in St Gervais can offer you a climbing wall, gymnasium, ice skating, outdoor swimming pool (fabulous in the summer with a cafe and bar), sauna, squash and multiple tennis courts.

Swimming, Sunbathing, Windsurfing and BBQs

Take a trip to Lake Passy only 25 minutes drive - you can be bathing on the beach whilst admiring the ascents of Mont Blanc!

St Gervais Getting Here

St Gervais is less than one hour from Geneva airport - there is a direct road into the town from the airport which remains open throughout the year making accessibility so simple.

Getting to St Gervais (Plane and Transfer)

By Plane

Geneva is the closest airport to St Gervais (80km), however Grenoble, Lyon, Milan or Turin are all less than 2.5 hours drive away. Useful flight links:

This is a fast and easy way to get to St Gervais and gives you flexibility whilst in the resort. Warning - if you hire from the French side you will need to buy a Swiss vignette/ road tax (around €30) and it is an impossible to journey to return your car at the end of your stay - so advice is hire from the Swiss side even if slightly more money. Useful car hire links:

The buses and trains to the ski lift areas are free on production of a lift pass or guest card. During the high season the service is very frequent, every 10-12min. MyFrenchChalet apartments are conveniently located close to bus stops. There are free car parks at each of the major ski stations.

St Gervais Ski Equipment

On ski and snowboard equipment rental we recommend you use Twinner. Not only are they very friendly, provide an extremely professional service and have a great choice of equipment for beginners to advanced abilities. They also offer you a 10% discount on rental. You will receive a voucher to redeem your discount with your information pack on arrival. There are 2 shops - one in the centre of town (opposite the tourist office) and one at the Bettex. Clients staying in Domaine de Crespin should use the town centre since only 5 minutes walk, clients staying in Residence La Piste could use either. Equipment can be picked up prior to apartment entry - let Twinner staff know you are with MFC and that you will give them your voucher later on:

St Gervais Ski Lessons

We recommend you use the Ecole de Ski de Chamonix (ESF). They offer group and private lessons. Please note the group lessons all start on Sunday, so if you are doing a midweek holiday, you will have to take private. Please book directly online by clicking on this link: St Gervais Ski Lessons - ESF.

Young Children - Garderie de Neiges

Le Bettex +33 (0)4 50 93 14 81 - open from every day 0900 - 1730 for children 6 months to 6 yr. Compulsory - book in advance! Children 4-9 taking lessons at the French ski school may stay for lunch. Health care record required.

St Gervais Ski Passes

The Main ski pass is the Evasion Mont Blanc pass - 500km of runs, 125 lifts, 1000m to 2350m in altitude, which covers St Gervais, Combloux, Les Contamines, Megeve, St Nicolas de Veroce and Les Houches (access by the Mont Blanc Tramway). Photos required for passes of 13 days or more. Smart card (hands free) mandatory deposit of €3. All ski passes are available from the main station desks or you can reserve your pass online at St Gervais Ski Passes.

St Gervais Ski Transfers

We can book your airport transfer between Geneva and St Gervais (if private) and Geneva and Le Fayet SNCF (if shared) for you at no extra cost. The company we use is one of the longest established transfer operators, are reliable, efficient and their drivers know the locations of our chalets so there will be no phaffing on directions when you arrive. They will meet you in the arrivals hall in Geneva airport directly from your flight and take you to your accommodation in St Gervais or Le Fayet SNCF. The approximate journey time is 1 hour. Each mini-bus holds up to 8 people. You may share a mini-bus with other people making it up to 8. The waiting time for a shared transfer is no longer than 45 minutes. Alternatively you can take a private transfer where there will be no waiting time. To book then please email us with all the following information:

Name of party

Mobile phone number and email of main contact

Chalet/ booking reference

Number of people

Date arrival & departure

Flight number and arrival time/ flight number and departure time at Geneva

Baby seat required - less then 9kg (0lb -19.8lb)

Child seat required - 9-18kg (19.8lb - 39.6lb)

Booster seat required - 18+ kg (39.6lb+)

Do you have ski equipment or bikes?

Prices to St Gervais

Private EUR 200.

Prices to Le Fayet SNCF

Taxi will be a 5 minute journey to St Geravis or you can take the SNCF bus.

The prices below are per group number and one way.

Group Number

1

2

3

4

5

private

private

private

One Way EUR

35

70

105

140

175

185

185

185

* A transfer from or to Geneva City centre will require a private transfer.